“Why am I not losing weight?” It’s a question many people ask when they’ve started a new diet or exercise program.
But why?
When people try to lose weight, they automatically think that it’ll be easy. But what’s actually easy is tripping yourself up with common diet mistakes.
“In theory, losing weight through diet and exercise can take much longer and require more effort than you might think, even when good intentions are there,”explains Susan Kraus, MS, RD, a registered dietitian at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey.
Here are 8 reasons your weight loss just isn’t happening:
Not Enough Food
Skipping meals can lead to food cravings and overeating later in the day — reaching for whatever food is available and making up for the missed calories by eating more. Research at Vanderbilt University found that after approximately 72 hours of not eating consistently, the body shuts down its calorie-burning abilities and begins to store fat, warns Kraus. In clinical studies, after one week, healthy women were seen to lose 16 percent of their resting energy expenditure, which led to increased fat storage and a decrease in metabolism.
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Not Enough Relaxation
A study done at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago and the University of Pittsburgh found that stress can lead to weight gain in women, particularly in middle-aged women. “There seems to be a link between having altered sleep patterns and fat conservation — both possibly hormonally related — but also many women simply manage their feelings with food, eating mindlessly, because food is a very accessible and quick soothing resource,” says Kraus. And unfortunately, an easy way for the calories to add up.
Not Enough Calorie Awareness
You might think you’re cutting back on portions, but may not realize the real number of calories you’re eating. Kraus makes these suggestions: Use measuring utensils and a food scale; learn visual cues to estimate portion sizes. For instance, three ounces of protein is the size of a deck of cards or a checkbook, one cup of rice or pasta resembles a baseball, and one ounce of cheese looks like two playing dice. Keep a food journal of everything you eat and drink to be truly aware of the total amount consumed over the course of the day.
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Not Enough Sleep
“There are many regulatory hormones secreted at night and during periods of sleep,” says Kraus. “The lack of sleep could possibly affect the proper sequence of hormone release.” Staying up late may lead to extra calories if you snack when you watch late-night TV or party with friends.
READ: Don’t Do This Before Going To Sleep Tonight
Too Much Impatience
“Weight loss needs time for us to see results, for the body to change its shape, access its fat stores and use them for energy, and re-contour itself by building lean body tissue,” says Kraus. “Remember, one pound of weight is equivalent to 3,500 calories. If you need 2,500 calories just to maintain your weight, you would need to consistently eat only 2,000 calories daily and exercise about 30 minutes daily (to burn another 250 calories) in order to see a true 1.5-pound weight loss in one week.” It sounds like a lot of effort — and it is. “Diet plans that make hard-to-believe promises are exactly that — hard to believe,” says Kraus.
Not Enough Exercise
“Many people overestimate how much they are burning when exercising. Many factors determine calories burned, including duration and intensity of exercise, whether the intensity is varied, and the type of exercise. Weight-bearing exercise, like running, walking, and aerobics, leads to burning more calories since gravity requires the body to work harder. With non-weight-bearing exercise, like cycling and swimming, there isn’t as much gravitational stress on the muscles, which means fewer calories are expended,” explains Kraus. “The best way to truly monitor your exercise would be via a journal and heart monitor to see the actual duration and intensity, and how they could be increased.”
Not Enough Weekend Discipline
“Weekend indulgences add up very quickly,” says Kraus. Having an appetizer before dinner, eating extra snacks, and splurging on dessert and alcoholic drinks will increase your daily intake by several hundred calories. “The problem is that whatever is eaten over the weekend will have an impact over the entire week. Rather than taking in 1,300 calories a day that could lead to weight loss, your average might end up being closer to 1,600, wiping out any weight loss,” explains Kraus. One solution, says Kraus, is to eat specific indulgence foods over the weekend within your diet calorie limit.
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Not Enough Discipline…Period
You go to the salad bar and load up on veggies, but then add hundreds of calories with rich dressing and toppings like grated cheese, bacon bits, and croutons. You burn 300 calories by walking for three miles, but then eat a muffin with the same number of calories, erasing the effect of the workout. “You need a healthy, calorie-controlled meal plan with exercise to help maximize calorie burning and encourage the calorie deficit needed for weight control,” says Kraus. Resist becoming lax about calories because you exercise, and resist becoming lax about exercise just because you’re cutting calories.
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